Bears eager to see young QBs mature

Grossman, Orton give team reason to raise expectations

January 17, 2006|By K.C. Johnson, Tribune staff reporter.

As his black sport utility vehicle rolled out of a Halas Hall parking lot Monday morning, Rex Grossman forced a wave and a slight smile.

That's already off-season progress for a team leader who reacted despondently to Sunday's divisional playoff loss, fighting his emotions and stopping to compose himself during his postgame news conference.

Expect more progress--or at least preparation--as this off-season progresses.

Grossman and Kyle Orton both are known as preparation freaks, students of the game who won't view the off-season much differently than the regular season. That's why there's such optimism for a position that has plagued the Bears for years.

"Ron Turner was talking with Rex earlier [Monday] and this will be the first time in six years that he'll have the same offense the following year," coach Lovie Smith said. "So that's big. Rex will go into the off-season healthy. That's why there's a lot of excitement about what we can do offensively."

A franchise that used at least three starting quarterbacks in six of the seven seasons prior to 2005 and made 26 starting changes in a 91-game span believes it has found stability.

Grossman, who went through two offensive coordinators in college and John Shoop and Terry Shea with the Bears, is the starter. Orton, with 15 career starts, is a backup with experience.

"That's invaluable," Turner said. "And Rex, I really believe, is going to be one of the elite players in this league. When he gets some reps and experience, he's going to be a special player.

"We have a chance to get everyone comfortable with what's going on. When you run the same offense, you see things so much quicker. The game slows down. You continue to grow and get better. We can implement some new things in the system. But familiarity with it is why I'm excited with where this offense can go."

The Bears finished with the NFL's 29th-ranked offense, and their passing attack ranked next-to-last. But Turner insisted numbers don't tell the whole story.

The Bears won eight straight while asking Orton to manage games and let the defense and running game take charge.

Instead, Turner focused on these numbers--62, 63 and 63. Those represent the yardage covered on scoring drives Grossman directed in his first playoff start.

"I didn't get caught up in the numbers," Turner said. "We did what we felt gave us the best chance to win with what we had. We won 11 games with that formula. If I had got caught up in the numbers or Kyle had to satisfy our ego or be ranked higher, I don't think we would've won as many as we did."

The Bears did establish the league's eighth-best rushing attack.

Thanks to Carolina's Steve Smith, they also have all off-season to contemplate the impact a playmaking receiver can make.

Even Muhsin Muhammad classified himself as a "role player" following a season in which he tied for second in the league with 11 drops and failed to develop consistent chemistry with Orton.

The Bears are hopeful Muhammad and Grossman will form a more potent pairing and also carry high expectations for Mark Bradley, who is rehabilitating a torn knee ligament.

They also might pursue the Steelers' Antwaan Randle El in free agency.

"Everyone needs a Steve Smith," Lovie Smith said. "We'll try to upgrade as much as we can at all the positions.

"But I think we've allocated quite a bit to the offensive side. We need to get them all out there healthy and playing. I'll be saying [we need another playmaker] after we win the Super Bowl."

Improvement also can come from within, and this is where the Bears are most confident. Grossman basically lives across the street from Halas Hall and will be focused on rejuvenation, not rehabilitation. Orton also sounds eager.

"I'm looking forward to the off-season to clear some things up technique-wise and work with [quarterbacks coach] Wade Wilson to make myself a better player," Orton said. "I've got a long way to go personally. But I know the routine. I know what the NFL is all about. Emotionally and physically it's a grind, but I know what to expect now."

Asked how much Grossman and Orton can accomplish during the off-season, Smith smiled.

"Quite a bit," he said. "Just having a chance to work with Wade and Ron, not only with schemes but with mechanics. There's so much work to be done with fundamentals. That's what we'll get done in the off-season."

That period began earlier than the Bears wanted it to or believed it would. Now that it's here, how they approach it will go a long way in determining whether there's a postseason run next season and how long it might last.

Grossman, who has just eight career starts, will be entering his fourth season. He vows to make it his best, which would eliminate all question marks at a position that has offered plenty in recent memory.

"I'm going to do everything I can physically and mentally to come back and be the best quarterback I can be," Grossman said.